


Kansas summer heat

by majel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel and Bees, Dean struggles with feelings, First Kiss, Future Fic, M/M, lemonade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 06:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6041533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majel/pseuds/majel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a nice summer day, for a change there was absolutely nothing that needed their immediate attention and Dean would be damned if he was going to waste this kind of miracle summer day buried inside the bunker. Not when there was a car waiting for him outside and the opportunity to get his hands dirty with nothing but oil and grease.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kansas summer heat

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an undefined "slightly" alternating future. I'm sure there are a couple of things that diverge from canon, but as it still fits into the supernatural universe I can not really consider this an AU-fic. It's more a universe alteration than an alternate universe.

Today was a good day. It was mid June, the sun high on the sky, there was no immediate threat to either of their life or sanities and Dean was lying under his car with enough free time on hand to simply tinker a bit for the pure sake of enjoyment. Given how life only offered them a few periods of times like these, Dean actually considered it a pretty damn awesome day.

Heat was radiating of the ground and his body was covered in sweat and grease.  
Sammy – always concerned, little, annoying shit he was – had carefully looked him up and down earlier and given him a doubtful look, when he had exclaimed he was going to work on his Baby outside. 

“It's like 90 degrees out there already Dean!”

“So what? I'm going to enjoy a little bit of sun. That's not a crime now, is it?”, Dean had answered already making his way up the stairs of the bunker, enthusiastically taking two steps at a time.

Sam didn't respond with more than something that looked like a helpless shrug and turned to mind his own business again. Probably to research or study or whatever boring stuff his brother did for fun, besides running. 

If he was honest, Dean knew his brother kind of had a point and that he definitely got a better hang on the “being a responsible adult” thing but then again Sammy really didn't get it.  
As much as the bunker looked like some sort of military facility, it was also the most home they have had since – well really since their house burned down when they were kids, or the leviathans lit Bobby's house up, he wasn't really certain about that kind of thing.  
What he was certain about, was that he had a room, and a bed, and a kitchen, and a yard, it was a nice summer day, for a change there was absolutely nothing that needed their immediate attention and therefore the rare feelings of simple contentment and happiness made room in his chest. And he'd be damned if he was going to waste this kind of miracle summer day buried inside the bunker just to act like a responsible adult. Not when there was a car waiting for him outside and the opportunity to get his hands dirty with nothing but oil and grease.  
God knew – or bloody hell in his case even literally several gods knew – he deserved a day where the worst thing his clothes ended up soaked in, was sweat.

Tinkering always put his mind to ease and Dean had been blissfully minding his own business for a couple of hours. He was quietly humming the tune to a Kansas song that had been stuck in his head, when he heard footsteps approaching. Probably Sam who had either found something that incredibly boring (fascinating Sam would say) he had to share it with him or he was checking he hadn’t accidentally caught a sunstroke or something.

Dean groaned and with the back of his hand wiped some sweat of his forehead.  
There was a tripping sound, followed by a rattle an a clapper, that sounded like something had just been ungracefully dropped onto his precious car. He raised his head as much as the narrow space would allow him, pushing himself slightly up onto his elbows.

What the fuck was his moron of a brother up to now?!

The pair of shoes he caught a glimpse of were way too fancy for his brother though and the voice that called “Dean?” a couple of seconds later confirmed his assumption. Most definitely not his brother.

Ignoring the pain that had already settled in his back – hell being on the later side of thirty really did leave its traces – he pushed himself out from under the car and with a grin said: “What's up Cas?”

The sky was clear and after spending so much time under his car the sun was dazzling his eyes. He had to blink a couple of times before he could make out the other's face.

Cas was standing next to him, right at the back-door of the Impala wearing his ridiculous suit pants, that looked way too tidy to have been worn out in the Kansas summer heat, and his awfully ill fitted trench coat, that looked even more out of place. His head was crooked to one side and in an familiar, only-to-a-fucked-up-person-like-him-reassuring way he stared right down at him.

“Hello Dean.”

That made Dean smile even wider and he awkwardly – screw thirty and stiff spines and limbs – got back on his feet.  
He tried to dust of his clothes, which only resulted in smearing dirt all over them and slightly cleaner hands, so he settled for a sheepish grin and leaning back at the Impala.

“Hiya Cas! - What gives me the pleasure of seeing you out here?”

Cas looked at him, with that confused look toddlers got when they were solving an especially complicated puzzle and a spark of happiness bubbled in Dean's chest.

“You're dirty and sweaty”, Cas noted, still staring.

“Yeah, that's the heat, you know. Kinda does that with you - at least to us humans. You're wearing way to many layers for a day like this by the way.”

“Dean it's not like-”

“-you feel the heat”, Dean remarked and it got him the flicker of puzzled surprise he hoped for, “ Yeah I know. But it's like you forgot how to human at all. Look man, I know you could probably walk around in a snow-suit right now. - Still doesn't make it any less weird.”

“I see”, Castiel said and shuffled from foot to foot. It was a human gesture. One of those little ones Dean was never quite sure if it was a habit deliberately picked up to put his human companions more at ease or if it was simply because he had spent so much time with – and even as – humans that he unconsciously picked up a couple of quirks. “So you would feel more comfortable around me if I adapted my choice of clothing more to my surroundings.”

That actually got a laugh out of Dean, as he absent-mindedly ran a hand through his hair, because after all these years here they were and that was absolutely so beside the point he was trying to make that only their freaking fallen-semi-broken-angel-of-the-lord could get it that way. So in lack of something better to do he crossed his arms in front of his chest an said:” Nah, that's fine. You go for whatever suits you best. You know we like you despite being weird.”

“Thank you Dean”, Castiel stated and smiled at him. Dean couldn't help but smile back again. It was nice being able to do that to his friend, it was a fantastic day, and now he could even share it with his yeah-kinda-weird-non-human but totally awesome friend. They so seldomly got the chance to simply hang out, to share a moment without the threat of the drawing end of the world that it felt a little surreal, just a little bit off. 

Which reminded him, that he was indeed a Winchester and Castiel a literal angel, and that no, they did not actually get to enjoy moments like this – like never, that’s just not what they did – so surely something must have been up for Cas to come and find him out here. 

He sighed, the familiar feeling of alarm and unease starting to creep through his body.

“So, uhm, is something up or were you just following the butterflies or whatever and saw my feet sticking out from under the car and thought you'd say hello?”

Castiel frowned, which always made him look that much cuter. Though naturally cute wasn’t a fitting word to apply to another guy, so Dean would never ever admit to having that thought out loud. 

“Dean”, the angel said, because that is what he always does. Starting his sentences like this, like it was his mission to add Dean's name to as many of his sentences as possible, and damn that guy was about to set a freaking world record. Not that Dean didn't enjoy the way he said his name. Like he wanted to make sure Dean got that the following was meant for him and he had his undivided attention. But that's another thing Dean wouldn't admit out loud. Ever. “You do realise I sometimes seek your presence purely for the enjoyment of your company? I – I do like it more than those of most other beings. There does not need to be a nearing catastrophe or a mere coincidence , like me stumbling upon you while enjoying watching my father's creation, for me to approach you. Though I do have to admit that it's my concern for your body-functions that brought me here today.”

“Huh?”, Dean retorted caught off guard, because even for Cas that seemed to be an awkward thing to say.

With all that pop-culture knowledge slammed into his head, his semi-recent first hand experience of humanity and all these years of generally hanging around Sam and him he kind of gotten the hang on the “expressing-oneself” thing. He had improved a hell of a lot on social skills and sort of developed a feeling for the whole personal-space issue. At least with non-angel-adapted people, which came in handy when trying to not scare off potential witnessed and suspects. So yeah, really weird thing to say.

“Sam said you are out here”, Cas offered, “ I met him in the kitchen. He was grumbling about how you've been out here all day long and would probably get dehydrated and a sunstroke but that he wouldn't be able to talk you into coming inside anyway. So he'd better leave it. But that I was welcome to go and find you myself. You know Dean-” There it was again. His name. Dean had already started wondering when he'd hear that again. “- Hydration is pretty essential to the human body as far as I'm informed.”

Cas said this as if it explained everything and went back to plainly staring at Dean. Dean on the other hand was pretty sure it did not and that he clearly missed the point Cas was trying to make, and therefore simply stared back and quizzically raised his eyebrows.

When Cas didn't try to elaborate the matter any further he added: “Yeah hydration's a pretty basic need of the human body. I give you that. You worried I'll pass out from a little bit of sun or what?”

“Oh, I brought refreshments”, the angel, now obviously getting where Dean was coming from, informed him and nodded his head in the direction of the Impala's hood. “ I thought you might like a short break.”

Dean, following the other's gaze, now spotted two glasses sitting on his car. Remembering the earlier clatter that marked the angel's arrival Dean twitched and nervously ran a hand up his head. The Impala was fine he told himself and instead of bursting into a lecture on the appropriate handling of such a fine car as his Baby, he pushed himself off the car and gave Castiel a friendly clap on the shoulder. 

„Break sounds fine to me“, he agreed, noticing his mouth was in fact bone-dry. Sammy was probably right. He would have caught a sunstroke at some point, but that's what working in the summer heat against all reason does to you. 

He joined Cas, who had already moved and was now leaning against the Impala's hood and eyed the glass, which was offered to him. 

“So what did you bring us?”

“Lemonade. Made it myself.”, Castiel answered, waving the glass at Dean. He was beaming at him, like he just won a special award. It was probably the first time the guy had ever done anything like that. Somehow Dean doubted they used to have lemonade sells to stock up their pocket money up in heaven when Cas was younger. Though honestly he didn't even know if Cas had been younger at some point. Sure he knew the angel somehow must have gotten older as he lived through the passing years, but there was no evidence angels had anything like the aging stages earthly creatures went through. He had only ever seen them in their human vessels, so there was no way to tell if he'd ever met something like a kid or elderly angel or if there was even a way to differentiate them. On the other hand the whole apocalypse business didn't seem like anything else than a couple of rebellious teenager that went over the edge as soon as the parents were out of the house for the weekend.  
The image of a toddler Cas pushed itself into his mind. Same blue eyes, a pair of white, cotton-like and fluffy wings and a tiny golden halo above his head. It was the cutest thing ever and Dean couldn't help but smile , as he reached for the glass. 

It was cold in his hands and his body immediately reacted, carving for the refreshment. He brought it up to his lips, ready to pour it down in a couple of swigs when he noticed an unfamiliar sweet smell to it. Startled he raised it a few inches higher and sniffed.

“Cas - what exactly is this?”

“Honey-lemonade.”, he declared looking at Dean like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Honey is a far more healthy sweetener than all the industrial and artificial ones classically used in lemonade.”

This time, Dean was the one staring. “Dude, you don't use honey for lemonade. I know you have kind of a special thing going on with bees there but, you can't just use bee-products for everything now. I'm -. I'm not gonna drink this.”

At this Cas shoulders slumped and his face fell. “Oh okay”, he said, his voice dropping just slightly. The disappointment wasn't as obvious as it would have been on a purely human face. A unschooled observer might have even missed the change in Cas's body language but Dean was an expert in that specialty and therefore saw the angel's expressions for what they were. 

Dean felt like he just kicked a puppy. Here he was being offered the first ever self made lemonade of a celestial being and he was shoving it right back into its face. And it wasn't even only his first self made lemonade, no it was also made especially for him, because Cas was his freaking friend and he had cared about him and knew him well enough to notice he'd probably need a break. Here was his best friend wanting to share one of the few happy and peaceful moments life offered him and Dean was being an idiot and about to ruin it. 

The realization hit him hard in his guts and a sour feeling spread throughout his body. That sad look on his friend's face was his fault. Cas had wanted to do him a favor, to make him happy and of course Dean had promptly fucked the whole thing up. That's what he always did when it came to their friendship. He always ended up saying or doing the wrong thing, while all he was trying to do was taking care of the people that mattered to him. 

Cas mattered and Dean wanted him happy. He wanted him to laugh, and be cheerful, to know that he was welcome and cared about and not just some kind of alliance they needed for back-up in case shit went down and to be free to wonder about all the fascinating things earth had to offer like bees and magnetism or whatever. And most of all he wanted be able the share this with his friend, to contribute to his happiness by making him laugh and his eyes widen in fascination. But of course all he managed was disappointment.

“Alright”, he muttered, “Guess I'm being a prejudiced idiot here. Look I'm sorry man.” 

He looked at his glass. He didn't even dislike honey or anything, so why was he being an idiot here. “It was nice of you to think of me and you know--”, Dean continued, looking the angel right into his unnaturally blue eyes, because he needed him to understand that he really was grateful, “ – I appreciate that. So let's try your first self made drink.”

He raised the lemonade again, this time bringing it up to bis mouth, taking a few careful sips. It wasn't bad. Not the best lemonade had ever tried, and honey was indeed a strange thing to add, but it tasted fresh and sweet and was a welcome relief for his dehydrated body. 

“Not bad!”, he commented rejoicing in the fact that brought a small smile back onto his friend's face. 

“Really?”, Castiel inquired. He was partially sitting on the Impala's hood, slowly nipping on his drink. It looked like he was considering whether he actually liked the taste of honey himself or not, which was a funny thing to witness. He looked like one of those people tasting a fancy wine sample, trying to make out all the different tastes it offered. At last he gave a helpless shrug. “Still tastes like molecules to me. One of the disadvantage of having at least a partially functional grace.”

Dean startled, drawing his brows together in confusion.

“Then why do you drink it? You know you don't have to if you don't want to. You don't have to fake for us anylong-”

“I like sharing things with you”, Cas said, matter of fact, “It's fun and I enjoy our shared experiences. This is something we can do together, so it's nice. Even if I can only taste molecules.”

Dean didn't know how to respond. He was pretty sure there were words he was expected to say now, something along the line of “I like hanging out with you, too”, but he couldn't get himself to formulate a coherent thought. People shouldn't be allowed to say stuff like that just out of the blue. How was he expected to handle revelations like these, especially when they were delivered like they were none at all.

Cas was just sitting there, his face beaming contentment and Dean felt his stomach jump. The fact that his friend was radiating so much joyfulness due to circumstance that he simply got to share time with him made Dean go slightly dizzy. He felt his heart race and wasn't quite sure where that was coming from, nor why his palms suddenly seemed to get even more sweaty. Must be the bloody Kansas summer heat.

The angel still seemed totally at ease while he was unconsciously nipping his drink and smiled at Dean whenever he met his eyes. Dean felt confused, but he couldn't quite say about what. His hand twitched and he was about to reach out, but in time realized he didn't even know what he was reaching for. So he just awkwardly shuffled with his foot in the dirt, waiting for Cas to break the silence.

When Castiel finally set his glass aside, Dean couldn't help but stare at him. Then a laugh bubbled out of him.

“What? Dean, what is it?”

“Sorry man.”, he literally giggled. Where did that come from. Giggling was most definitely not an appropriate thing to do for a Winchester, even when his best friend's mouth was smudged all over with something that looked suspiciously like honey. God, he really must have caught a sunstroke or something. “You kinda got something on your face there.”

Caught off guard Cas brought his hand up to his face, more or less slapping himself in the process. Dean chuckled and without thinking about about it stepped closer to reach out and cup Cas's jaw with his palm. Clearly his brain hadn't quite caught up with his body movement because the next moment he was wiping his thumb along the corner of his friends lip.

“There you go.”

Cas stared.

Clearly this should have been the moment to let go. Clearly this was way beyond the personal-space boundaries they had established. Somehow his body wouldn't quite listen though and he found his hand resting on his friend's face for a while longer. The skin under his palm was cold, contrasting the nearly burning heat that surrounded them.

Dean might have been imagining things at this point, but after a heartbeat he felt Cas turning his head towards his palm ever so slightly. It was like he was practically leaning into his touch and he felt his own eyes flutter. His heart beating loud inside his chest. 

The logical thing to do would have been to turn around, run away and never ever talk about this again but Cas's eyes were wide as they stared at him and he looked so vulnerable that Dean didn't dare to fuck this moment up. Once a day was enough he figured. Standing there simply holding another guy's face was pretty awkward though, even if it left his mind dizzy and his pulse racing. Therefore he did the only other thing left do. He lowered his head and pressed his lips onto Castiel's. 

They were cool, just like his face and of course they tasted like honey. He softly pressed against them, his touch feather light as he waited for Cas, who had frozen solid against him, to react. He was about to pull away when he finally felt a breath being drawn in and he was suddenly kissed back.

Blood was rushing in Dean's ears, and he brought his other hand up around Cas's neck, partially pulling him closer, partially steadying himself as he parted his lips to catch the other's mouth with his own. Cas sight against him and pleasantly surprised Dean, when he licked his way along the bottom of his lip, leaving him thrilled and alarmed. 

A wicked kind of desire was burning in Dean's body, as he caught his breath just to move in again an shower Castiel's jaw and mouth with hot, open mouthed kisses. He absentmindedly noticed a hand tangling in his shirt, wildly pulling him closer, so he leaned in, pressing Cas to the hood of the Impala. Heat was moving through his veins as their tongues met again.

It was sloppy and wet, as they were trying to figure out how to do this best, crushing their mouths together, sucking and pulling at each other. Dean must have lost his mind, because he was pretty much moaning, as his best friend flicked his tongue along his own and electricity was buzzing through every inch of his body.

Dean caught his hands. Firmly pressing them down to the metal underneath them, as he moved his face down the other's throat, sucking on the sensitive skin just below the ear. Rough stubble was tickling his nose and that was definitely a change to the soft curves he was used to until now. Cas wasn't soft. He was rough and had edges, but he also tasted like honey and lemonade and made Dean's heart jump inside his chest and Dean didn't really get a chance to follow that line of thought anyway because the angel had already moved, his face now pressing against him again, doing things to him Dean had definitely not thought him capable of.

When they eventually parted Dean was breathless. His lips were swollen and sore, from actually kissing another guy – angel to be precise. But yeah fact remained he just kinda snogged the shit out of his best friend, because he somehow got the whacky idea this wasn't going to fuck up everything. Dean Winchester forever ruining friendships. 

Cas was still staring. His hair was ruffled and his gaze slightly blurred. Dean could probably be grateful he hadn't angrily fluttered off by now, so he carefully untangeld himself from the angel underneath him, embarrassedly getting back to his feet. He kept his gaze down, mind slowly catching up with the events of the last minutes.

Awkwardly he cleared his throat, still not meeting the other's eyes. “Well … - Ehm thanks for the lemonade.”, he stuttered, “And the company. I'll ...- I'll just be going then.”

And with that he simply turned and - sissy little shit he was - just walked away.

Because he wasn't ready to face what just happened, even though he knew he would have to. Not if he was going to prevent fucking this whole thing up again. Which he wasn't going to let happen. Not like this, not with Cas. He was going to figure out what this whole thing meant, he had faced worst things than that.

But right now he wasn't ready. Not yet.

**Author's Note:**

> As I am not a native speaker myself I am still looking for a native speaking beta-reader. So if you’re interested in pointing out all the odd expressions I used, please let me know.
> 
> You can find me on tumbler [here](http://itsmajel.tumblr.com/).


End file.
